Bobby and Haley's Visit

Isla Mujeres
6/2/16 ~ 6/8/16

The weather in Texas and (elsewhere) has been horrendous with massive flooding and property destruction.  Haley was so tired of the rain and couldn't wait to get to "fun in the sun".  Their 9:30 a.m. arrival in Cancun was delayed until around 2:30 p.m. due to the plane being grounded because of weather and then engine problems.  It was a long and hairy day for them, but we finally swooped them up at the ferry and got them to the island.

Little did they know that the weather has followed them!  In the next 2 days we were expecting thunderstorms for the first time in a good month.  So the 2nd day of their vacation we got them on a boat for a whale shark tour.  It is a little over an hour to get to the spot where the whale sharks feed on an upwelling of plankton due to the current and sea floor landscape here.  Unfortunately, no whale sharks were spotted that day....the incoming weather has driven them down deeper.  But....not all was lost as they got into a school of huge manta rays and were able to swim with them.  Not something Charlie and I have experienced.

So, the rain arrived, but in between showers Haley and Bobby used our scooter and Haley gave her sweet husband a tour of the island.  There was a lot of laying around and reading and then at night some fierce "Farkle" (or 10,000) playing was going on.  The week was up way too soon and they were back to Austin and work.  We so enjoyed their visit and I think they had a good time too!

Isla Mujeres....2016....Catching Back Up!

May 30, 2016
Marina Paraiso
Isla Mujeres, Mexico                                                                          

Here I sit again in beautiful Isla Mujeres.  As you can tell I have not entered a post for a year.  Last season (April 2015) I had a bicycle accident, trying to avoid an iguana I fell off my bike from a raised platform and subsequently tore my ACL and meniscus on my left knee.  
My two lovely friends, Sarah and Maggie arrived the next day for a week of fun in the sun.  Luckily I was able to get a hold of them before they left the states and they delivered a knee brace and cane to help me hobble around during their visit.  Hated that I put somewhat of a damper on their trip...The sisters, though had a great time and it was wonderful for me to have my favorite friends here with me.
                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                       
I confirmed my knee issue in Cancun with a MRI and a visit to a local orthopedic, then flew back to the US for surgery and 3 months of Physical Therapy.  Meanwhile, after being nurse, Haley flew down to Isla to enjoy a week with her Daddy, while Sean became my nurse at home.  Love you, son, but your nursing skills need a lot of improvement...But I am truly grateful to have them both take care of me!  So, then Sean bailed and flew south to help Charlie move the boat back to the Rio Dulce, in Guatemala.  Six weeks later, my husband was home for hurricane season with s/v Island Sol safe in her slip at Luv's Marina.

Jerry and Susan (s/v Vida Dulce)

Our trips home are always too short for me and before we knew it, it was time to head back to Guatemala and prepare the boat for the next sailing season.  Again, we were fortunate to sail along with s/v Vida Dulce (Jerry and Susan) back to Mexico.  It took us a good week, stopping in at beautiful anchorages in the middle of nowhere.  We enjoyed our respite in the Bahia de Ascension and the little town of Punta Allen.  Then made our way back to Isla Mujeres.

My sweet mother, Beth

On November 23, 2015 my mother, Beth, had a stroke which required surgery and at 88 that was a very scarey thing.  Charlie and I made a hasty trip back to the states the next day.  To make a very long story short, my mother had a second stroke after successful surgery on the first, went back for a second surgery and then a third surgery to repair a leak from the first surgery.  Then a month in rehab.  We were blessed with her recovery, she had a g-tube inserted for feeding as her swallow was not good enough for her to eat or drink.  So with just the loss of her short term memory and using a walker to get around, she is back at home and happy.  My many prayers were answered.


I returned to Mexico, January 15, with a lot of guilt for not being there with my parents.  But, thanks to Haley, she is taking good care of them for me.  So, we have gotten more familiar with the island and have met some really nice people along the way.  The food here is amazing and in general it is an easy place to be with many amenities at hand.  I joined a knitting club - thank you Dody for the invite - and have met some great women who are very talented.  Charlie has been having fun with his drone and has gotten some amazing pictures of the island and the beautiful water that surrounds it....that is why it is called the Mayan Rivera.

We were also fortunate to take an 18 day trip to Cuba with Jerry and Susan.  That will require a post of it own (soon to be posted). And, 2 days ago the whale shark season started and we were one of only 6 boats out there swimming with these amazing fish.  Last year, there must have been 40+ boats out there, but it was later in the season and then the number of sharks were much larger.  If you are not aware of these gentle giants, google them....they are astonishing and to be at arm's length from them is pretty thrilling.

Haley and Lys

toasting to Linda's arrival

Haley and her girlfriend Lys, came for a week in March.  And, our good friend John also spent some time with us, after our visit with him in Tulum. Toward the end of this month, Linda joined us for a week.  All she needed was "vodka and the beach"....we had plenty of both.  We had a wonderful time with my "Siter".  We did do a whale shark tour and Linda, swam with the "sharks".  It was pretty darn thrilling. So, in just 3 more days our daughter, Haley and her husband, Bobby will arrive for a week's vacation.  We are so thrilled to be able to see them both on s/v Island Sol again.   Then we will be off to Guatemala, unfortunately s/v Vida Dulce will be leaving today and we will not have the pleasure of sailing back with them.

  Sean and Devin dropping us off at airport

        

           Charlie on our scooter

              

                  Visit to Chichen Itza

dinner at El Varadero

Isla Mujeres

March 10, 2015

Jerry, Susan, Charlie and I were all at the Port Captain's office by 9:00 this morning.  Thank god, Jerry is fluent in Spanish, it was a big help all through the day.  By 2:30 we had completed all our paperwork.  Jorge, who worked with the Health Department, chastised (we received no fine,thank goodness) us all severely for not checking into the first Mexican port we had come to.  He said, "you have been in Mexican waters for a week and could have been spreading Ebola all up the coast".  Hmmm....well we knew we were all very healthy, because he took our temperature and made us stick out our tongues!  But, like he said, if he was in the USA and did this he would have been deported immediately....and he is right, so we promised to not do that again.

So with official legal papers in hand and a 90 day visa, we made our way across the street to Social Justice to celebrate with more cerveza and coconut fried shrimp...as only the Mexicans can do.  It is getting close to Susi's arrival time on the ferry from Cancun, so we walked to the ferry dock.  Susi arrived with her beautiful smile at 5:30...and her vacation begins!


March 11, 2015

We had a leisurely morning, but soon headed in the dingy back to shore and rented a golf cart.  Golf carts and motorcycles are the major mood of transportation on the island, at least by the tourists and cruisers.  We dropped off our laundry at Ave. Juarez and Ave. Matamoras and paid $40 peso/per kilo.  Next stop was a history lesson at the Estate of Fermin Mundaca.  Fermin was a pirate, who at the ripe old age of 40 decided to settle down on Isla Mujeres, in 1880, where he met a beautiful young Mexican girl, Prisca Gomez.   He fell deeply in love with her and built a 2 story home on his "plantation" in hopes to win her heart.  But she loved another and his heart was broken.  There of course is more to this story, but it was a very hot day and we walked around and saw what still remains of his home.  The price of admission was $20 pesos each.

Oh our way out of the "estate" we saw an elderly couple selling sea shell wind chimes.  I remember this couple from 2 years ago, the husband makes trumpet horns out of conch shells and Charlie had to have one.  This gentleman had to take the conch shell, that Charlie picked out, back home to plaster the hole where the conch was removed from, in order to make a horn out of it.  So we will return another day to pick it up.  Charlie just can't wait to wake the anchorage up early in the morning with his horn.

the last word.....salad

Our next stop was the Chuedauri....the large grocery store on the island....for a few grocery items.  Then a stop at Lolo Lorana's to make reservations for Friday night dinner.  Lolo is famous on the island for her gourmet cuisine.  We had met her briefly 2 years ago, trying to make reservations, but she was going to Europe on vacation, as she is from Brussels.  While having a wonderful breakfast at Mango's, we heard that Lolo had an accident and they were not sure if she was cooking. We made it to her house and a young boy ushered us back through her 2 kitchens and into Lolo's bedroom.  We were somewhat reluctant to enter for we could see Lolo laying on the bed, but she waved us in with her wonderful laugh and French accent.   She indeed had a terrible accident, breaking her upper arm bone and lower leg bone with a cast and metal pins sticking in everywhere...oh my...but still a smile on her face.  What a wonderful spirit she has.  Susi and I were somewhat taken back by all of this, which came out in hysterical laughter when we retold it to Charlie in the cockpit that night with cocktails.  So more to come on the dinner....

Cozumel to Isla Mujeres

March 9, 2015

We left Cozumel by 7:30 and had a nice motor sail up the coast to Isla Mujeres.  The Mexican "Gold Coast" stretches out for miles all along this northern route.  We kept thinking we were close to Cancun, but the hotels go for miles and miles.  We finally anchored in Isla Mujeres around 2:30. Now it is time for check-in.  As you check out of one country you must then check-in to the next.  We had managed to by pass checking into Belize by sailing along the outer cays.  As luck would have it the offices were closed, but just across the street is the Restaurant Social Justice, which has the best ceviche in town.  So the four of us ordered up Ceviche Mixto (shrimp, octopus, conch and some local fish) and plenty of ceverza to wash it all down.  Now with our bellies full we went back to our boats and fell blistfully to sleep.  Thanks to s/v Nikki Wikki, we now know to anchor in the sand near the reef, as this area is know as the "Drag Strip".

Social Justice

San Miguel, Cozumel

March 8, 2015

We arrived in Cozumel and made our way to the only anchorage around 2:30 p.m. and went to shore in search of sim cards for our phone and internet sticks, now that we are in a new country, but no such luck since it is Sunday.  We got a few things at the Mega Mart, it was air conditioned and we really wanted to hang there for a while, but we were all just too tired.

After arriving back to the boat we noticed a "ship" anchored near us....m/v "A".  Come to find out this boat is owned by a Russian and it is just over the top!  I have added a link to a You Tube video which gives you a inside tour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbucJO3zDCE Susan took this great shot of Island Sol in front of  "A"....thanks Susan!

This was a horrible anchorage just north of the ferry dock.  Swells all night long and ferry wake constantly....we are so ready to get out of here!

Punta Allen

March 7, 2015

Charlie changed the fuel filters on the generator, not an easy task and then to boot, in a very small space.  I finished The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson and added this to my best book list.  We are getting the boat ready for a 4:30 a.m. departure in the morning and making a 60 N M (nautical mile) sail to Cozumel.  Without any issues we should be in Isla Mujeres by Monday evening and then welcome Susi Q on board Tuesday for her 3rd visit to Island Sol.

March 8...Hoisted the anchor and left at our departure time of 4:30.  The wind is 21 mph with sloppy seas and with the wind at 30 degrees on a starboard tack. Very uncomfortable motor sailing, being tossed all around.  Had to finally take in the jib and motor sailed with the main sail only.

The starboard davit pole broke lose and Charlie had to use a snap block and a halyard from the mast to support the dingy because we were slamming into the waves so badly.

Punta Allen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

March 3, 2015

On seeing the cut in the reef to Bahia Ascension ...I am thinking, oh boy, won't be long to anchor.  Wrong...it took us over 2+ hours to get to the anchorage which was tucked in behind the land.  Unfortunately we had to go way in and turn back up due to shallow water.  After getting the anchor down, we noticed a lot of boats ferrying people, with orange life vests on, back and forth to a cut in the coast line.  We knew this had to be tourists, as no Mexican fisherman wear life vests.  But, it was time to settle in for the evening...again we were exhausted and couldn't wait to get in bed.

The elementary school

Day 2...we went ashore and realized that these boats were indeed shuttling tourists (all Italian, which blew my mind) around Sian Kiai ("Birth of the Sky") Natural Reserve.  Punta All was a much larger town than Rausher's guide depicted, but as we have seen many changes have occurred since the last edition of her book 7 years ago.  The town is very neat with well kept yards and nicely appointed gardens.  There is a school for the younger children and another larger school for the older students.  And, to our amazement a local library...yeah for Punta Allen.  There is also a wonderful basketball court, soccer field and playground near the central zocalo.  We found what seemed to be a local bar/restaurant and settled in to the shade of the building and ordered our 1st round of beers.  We decided to eat after the proprietor showed us some red snapper and lobster (frozen) - it seemed a little pricy so we all settled on shrimp.  We finally got some good tortillas, only in Mexico.  It has been our experience that Guatemalans, Belizeans, and Hondurans just can not make a decent corn tortilla - but I guess it is just our Texan taste.

We visited 2 "supermarkets" in search of avacados, but none were found.  This was our first store since leaving the Rio Dulce (Feb. 24) and our fresh produce was gone, except for a lime and an onion.  We were so excited to also find tortilla chips as they do not exist in Guatemala...at least in the Rio.

March 4....Today we went back to town, still on a quest for the elusive avacado.  Lo and behold our second store had some and we bought them all.